Diversity In Engineering Technology: An Nsf Project

There is mounting evidence that a nationwide shortage of qualified high-tech workers will jeopardize the country’s economic future unless the United States takes more effective action to nurture the intellectual development of underrepresented groups so that the pool of scientists and engineers expands to include more women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. This paper will provide a global description of the Diversity in Engineering Technology project, funded by the National Science Foundation through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and detail our outreach program to underrepresented groups for engineering and engineering technology. The project has three goals. The first is to increase the diversity of engineering technology students at the community colleges and ultimately at the university level. We will do this through establishing engineering and engineering technology clubs at twenty high schools in the Charlotte region. Students will participate in fun and engaging hands-on activities and competitions designed to pique their interest in math, physics, engineering and engineering technology. The second goal is to increase student, parent, teacher and high school counselor awareness of and interest in the career and educational opportunities for students with aptitudes in math, science, engineering and technology. It has been confirmed through high school student interviews that few, if any, know or understand what engineering technology is. By raising the community awareness about engineering and engineering technology, it is believed that more students will enroll in these programs. The third goal is to better align the curricula between the community colleges’ Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree programs and UNC Charlotte’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) degree programs. UNC Charlotte currently has a 2+2 program, and is in the process of developing the lower division courses. Through a better alignment of the programs students will have more choices, have fewer problems in transferring classes between institutions, and be better prepared to finish a bachelor’s degree program.